Einstein: His Life and Universe, by Walter Isaacson
How did his mind work? What made him a genius? Isaacson’s biography shows how his scientific imagination sprang from the rebellious nature of his personality. His fascinating story is a testament to the connection...
Movie Review: ‘Roma’
Roma, a Spanish language film, was written and directed by Oscar winning, Mexican director Alfonso Cuaron. It is an engaging and powerful story set in Mexico City from 1970 to 1971. Mexico was in...
Book review: ‘Memories, Miracles & Meaning’
At 96, Fanny Krasner Lebovits is still going strong. I saw her as recently as December 2nd in attendance at a regional meeting of her beloved Hadassah, an organization to which she has devoted...
(Real) trials and tribulations: Stephen Flatow’s relentless battle against terrorism
We begin with a scene from 60 Minutes: footage of a young woman lying on the ground being attended to by medical personnel alongside a scorched Israeli bus. This haunting scene is followed by Leslie...
Michelle Obama’s ‘Becoming’ also about belonging
If one theme predominates throughout former First Lady Michelle Obama’s memoir, it is that, notwithstanding the fact that she and her husband had risen to the very pinnacle of power and prestige in the...
The Kominsky Method Is a Strange, Slapdash Show
Acting, Sandy Kominsky (Michael Douglas) tells his students in the second episode of The Kominsky Method, is how we explore what it means to be human. “Experience the feelings that come up, no matter how...
Is it India or is it Gehenna?
If you walk through ankle-deep sewage overflow while batting away flies and choking on ashes of incinerated human remains, you’ll experience the India of author Tova Reich’s description. You probably would prefer to visit...
Redefining who can become a Jew
Author Robert Mnookin, a Harvard Law professor, argues that Jewish peoplehood should have permeable boundaries. One should be able to escape Jewish identity, if one so wishes, or conversely be admitted within the Jewish...
A Thanksgiving movie marathon with Jewish flavor
Why just watch the Macy’s parade when you can celebrate the holiday with flicks like “Fiddler on the Roof” and “The Ten Commandments?”
In addition to cooking all day and eating to your heart’s content...
Book review: ‘The New American Judaism’
American Jewry is balkanized, divided into denominations ranging from the Haredi, who scrupulously and meticulously strive to obey both the Torah and oral laws, at one extreme, and Reform Judaism, whose roots lie in...